


Arc, the Herald Angel Sings!

by FandomLastsForever



Series: Spirit of the Season [4]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Background Relationships, Bad Puns, Christmas Fluff, Family Shenanigans, Getting Together, Hijinks & Shenanigans, M/M, Mutual Pining, On Hiatus, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Singing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-04
Updated: 2017-12-04
Packaged: 2019-02-10 11:24:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12910905
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FandomLastsForever/pseuds/FandomLastsForever
Summary: When Ren passes out at a sleepover, he's rushed to the hospital where he finds out he has pneumonia, and he'll miss the holiday plans that all of his friends put together while he recovers. Determined not to let this get in the way of Ren's happiness, Jaune concocts a plan to bring the holidays to him.





	Arc, the Herald Angel Sings!

**Author's Note:**

> Back to the holiday fics!  
> This one takes place about ten years after the events of Cold December Nights, and while several of the main characters from that story are in this one, this tale isn't about them. This time we're looking at some of the friends of the kids. Particularly Jaune and Ren, and their sappy mutual pining for each other.  
> There's going to be roughly 15 chapters to this one, and I'll try to finish no later than three days after Christmas.  
> Enjoy!

The room was very quiet that early December morning. A fresh layer of snow had coated the ground outside while he had slept. Despite the dull ache in his muscles, Ren slowly sat up, looking around as he wiped the sleep from his eyes. He didn't remember changing into pajamas, or braiding his hair. He couldn't recall going to bed the night before, or painting his room stark white for that matter.

 _Wait_ , he realized. _This isn't my room._

**_"You're awake! I was hoping you'd wake up by the time I made my rounds."_ **

Ren looked over at the doorway, shocked to see a man with fluffy white hair and a beard wearing a set of red scrubs and a lab coat. They were out of focus, though he figured it was just from morning vision. "Santa?"

"No," the man chuckled. "Dr. Nikolai, though I can see the confusion." He walked over to him and began checking his vitals. "How're you feeling?"

"Sore,"  Ren said. "My chest feels a little tight. And crackly."

"Yeah, pneumonia will do that," Nikolai sighed. "You got lucky we caught it so quickly. Had you left it any longer, you'd have been in a far worse state than you are now."

"Pneumonia? Wait..." He looked around the room, only now noticing the I.V. "Am I in the hospital?"

"Yes, you are. Your friends brought you here last night after you passed out." Nikolai looked him in the eyes, a fierce look of concentration on his face. "What's the last thing you remember?"

Ren closed his eyes, trying to think back. "I think we were at a party. A sleep over at one of my friend's houses. We were playing spin the bottle and I got up to use the restroom and..."

 _And then what?_ he thought. _What happened after that? Why is it a blur?_

_"Ren, you okay? You're kinda pale."_

_"Ren!"_

_That's right..._

"I think I started having breathing issues," he continued. "Nora said I looked a little pale, and Jaune...I think Jaune caught me when I fell over..."

Nikolai nodded slowly. "Yes, that matches the story your friends told us last night when they brought you in. Good sign."

_They brought me to the hospital. Sounds exactly like something they'd do. I hope I didn't cause them any worry._

"Where are they now?" Ren asked.

"Visiting hours were well over by the time you got here," Nikolai explained. "They said they'd be back this afternoon though. If you're up for visitors."

"Always."

"Then I'll be sure to let them know when they come back."

"Thank you, Doctor." Ren looked over at the window, brow furrowed. "Um...if I may ask...how long am I going to be checked in?"

"Well, by law we can't force you to stay," Nikolai sighed. "But you're not exactly in the best shape to go home. We'd like to keep you for at least a week or two, see if the current treatment helps."

"I see...thank you, Doctor..."

Dr. Nikolai finished checking up on him and left to tend to the other patients. Ren smiled fondly as he lay back under the blanket, imagining what would happen when his friends arrived. Nora would probably bring as many stuffed animals as she could carry. Pyrrha would bring a gift basket with lots of fruit. Yang, Ruby, and Penny would bring him homemade cookies by the dozens, while Blake would bring him books to read. Neo and the Malachite twins would be the chauffeurs. They'd all ask if he's okay, how long he'd be in the hospital, and they'd all join him in lamenting in missing their holiday party.

 _And Jaune will probably bring his guitar,_ Ren thought. _He'll try to serenade me to full health, or at least make me feel like I'm all better. I kind of hope he does. I love his singing..._

Ren closed his eyes and drifted back to sleep.

 

* * *

 

 

**_"You are my star, you are the one  
You make me smile when the world's come undone-"_ **

The entire house was bouncing and loud with joy as the group worked hard to bake. They took turns singing, tapping the next person on the shoulder when it was their turn. Penny, Ruby, and Yang were working on cakes and cookies, Weiss and Blake were going over the books, and Neo was busy packing the cookies into the decorative boxes while Pyrrha washed the dishes. Nora had gone with Melanie and Miltia to get a teddy bear and a change of clothes. Jaune prepared the basket on the table, wrapping the handle in a vibrant green ribbon so that it looked more festive.

_I hope Ren's going to be okay. He looked really bad. If he wasn't feeling well, he should have said something._

**_"Out of my league!  
How could it ever be?"_ **

Ruby reached over and tapped him on the shoulder just as he picked up the roll of wrapping paper. He held it up to his face like a microphone, jumping up onto the table to belt out the lyrics, his expression as joyful as the cereal mascot on his hoodie.

 _ **"What am I supposed to do-**_  
_**Just sit here and not fall in love with you?**_  
_**Can I do anything to conceal it?**_  
_**Can I lock up my heart and not feel it**_?"

Everyone cheered, clapping their hands as he belted out the lyrics. He was fully invested in this song. It was a classic, and he always sang it when helping Ren in the kitchen. Jaune knew if he were there now, he'd be trying not to laugh while tapping his feet to the beat, humming along.

 _ **"Try to hide from the fact**_  
_**That there's no turning back**_  
_**I'm in love-**_ "

**_"How can only seven kids make so much darn noise?!"_ **

Everyone froze in place, looking over at the doorway to see Qrow staring at them, hands on his hips and eyes narrowed at Jaune. Taiyang stood behind him, snickering while adjusting his camera.

"Arc?" Qrow said slowly. "What's the rule of the house?"

"It's, uh," Jaune stammered, getting down from the table. "No dancing on the kitchen table."

"That's right." He gave them a smirk, crossing his arms as he leaned against the doorframe. "That's what the coffee table is for."

"You kids having fun in here?" Tai asked.

"We sure are!" Ruby said. "We're almost done with the cupcakes!"

"Is father back with the balloons yet?" Penny asked.

"Not yet," Qrow said. "He got caught up in traffic. He'll be back in half an hour. Just got off the phone with him and he was laughing at how loud you all were being."

"We'll be sure to clean up before he gets back," Blake promised.

"Starting with that table," Weiss groaned, reaching for the paper towels.

"Sorry about that," Jaune said.

"No need to worry," Tai assured. "Qrow was _way_ worse in college. You should have seen him when we did eggnog shots in James' dorm." He turned to head up the stairs, snickering. "I think we still have pictures."

"Wait, _what?_ " Qrow bolted after him, face red from embarrassment. "Tai-Tai, you said you got rid of those!"

"I did! Summer kept them!"

"And I'm gonna burn them!"

"We have copies!"

**_"NO!"_ **

The kids burst into laughter and continued with their work. Jaune returned to decorating the basket, humming along as the radio began to play holiday music. There was a strong feeling of warmth coming from everyone as they completed their tasks. Though Jaune couldn't help but feel a little disheartened.

_I wish Ren was here. He'd be having a great time._

"Any idea how long Ren will be in the hospital?" Ruby asked.

"Probably a while," Blake said. "Two weeks at the least given last night. Possibly three. Depends on what the doctor says."

"But," Penny said sadly, "that'd mean he'd miss dinner with all of us."

Everyone looked between each other in worry. They'd all planned to spend this holiday season together at the Belladonna home since it had the most space. But no one wanted Ren to miss it. They'd all worked so hard to get the house decorated, preparing the bedrooms, and organizing the Secret Santa, for which Jaune still had to get something for Ren. Everyone had been looking forward to this since the start of November.

"Christmas is only thirteen days away," Pyrrha sighed. "I don't think Ren will be well enough to join us."

Yang sat on the counter, eyes burning in frustration. "Man, this sucks."

"My sentiments exactly," Weiss grumbled.

Jaune tied two smaller pink bows on either side of the basket handle, tracing his finger over the soft velvet. Nora would most likely be staying as close to Ren as possible, and everyone would probably be too worried about Ren's health to enjoy any of the usual party games. Things just weren't the same when they were missing one of their own.

_I'm Ren's Secret Santa...I'm supposed to get him something nice...so maybe..._

"Well," Jaune said, "if Ren can't come to the holiday party...we'll just have to bring the holiday party to Ren."

Everyone looked at him expectantly, and Jaune could feel the burning sensation on his back. He took a deep breath, standing slowly and as tall as his lanky shoulders could manage.

"I'm guessing you have a plan then?" Blake asked.

"Less of a plan," he admitted, "and more of an idea. I'll need a hand in getting something together."

"Well, we're here to help," Pyrrha said. "Just tell us what to do."

Jaune smiled and motioned for everyone to join him at the table. "Not we're going to need to talk it over with all our parents, and Neo, I need you to get a hold of the Christmas Cupid right now."

 _"Can do,"_ Neo signed. _"This should be fun."_

Weiss gave him a perplexed stare. "Why the Christmas Cupid?"

"Because no one plans a party better than him," Yang said. "So what do you need us to do?"

"Well," Jaune sighed, "how soon can you get in touch with Sun and Neon?"

"Super soon."

"Good. Then let's get planning."

Everyone sat around the table and began the planning. Nora and the twins returned just as it was time to contact the parents. Ruby ran upstairs to get Taiyang and Qrow, and Yang was starting to make the calls. Neo gave the thumbs up when she finally got in contact with Roman. Jaune began writing down everyone's roles and what they were going to do. If they were going to pull this off, it had to be clearly communicated, well timed, and everyone had to do what they did best. By the time Roman arrived at the house, most of the basic planning had been completed.

This can work. This can definitely work. Just gotta get the party planning king to verify.

"Alright," Roman sighed. "What are we working with?"

Jaune handed him the papers with everyone's jobs and the plan. Silence filled the kitchen as they watched him look over everything. Roman reached into his pocket and pulled out a red pen, making a few notes in the margins before handing it back.

"So?" Jaune asked. "Think this will work?"

"Oh, it'll work," Roman snickered. "You kids all take after your parents. This will work out perfectly. However-" he grabbed Jaune by the hood, dragging him up stairs "-you and I need to talk about one detail in particular."

"O-Okay?"

Roman pulled him into the bathroom, locking the door and having Jaune sit on the counter while he made himself comfortable in the bathtub. Neither said anything for a while. The awkward silence make Jaune anxious. He wasn't sure if something about the plan had annoyed Roman, or if Roman wanted to discuss further details. But he didn't ask. He just watched as Roman flipped his bowler hat over his head a few times as he leaned back in the tub.

Okay, this is getting really weird. "Um-"

**_"It's in the singing of a street corner choir_ **  
**_It's going home and getting warm by the fire-"_ **

Jaune nearly fell off his perch when Roman started singing. "Mr. Torchwick-"

**_"It's true, wherever you find love_ **  
**_It feels like Christmas!"_ **

Roman looked at him expectantly, eyes aglow with joy and anticipation. Jaune ran his hand through his blond hair, hoping he understood what the ginger goof was asking of him. He took a breath and took over the song.

**_"A cup of kindness that we share with another_ **  
**_A sweet reunion with a friend or a brother_ **  
**_In all the places you find love_ **  
**_It feels like Christmas!"_ **

"That's it!" Roman applauded. ** _"It is, the season of the heart-"_**

**_"A special time of caring-"_ **

**_"The ways of love made clear!"_ **

The two of them sang through the song, clapping to a steady beat until their hands were sore. Any nervousness that he had built up was completely melted away. They took turns warping their voices to deliberately sound as goofy as possible. There were sounds of whispers from outside, most likely from the rest of the group wondering what they were doing.

"Nice going, Jauney boy!" Roman cackled. "How're you feeling?"

"Pretty good," Jaune chuckled. "Better than I was a few minutes ago."

Roman nodded, tossing him his hat. "Good. You looked like you were going to pass out from panic down there. Figured a one on one song session would help."

Jaune caught the hat and put it on, trying to keep it from falling in his face. "Really?"

"Well that, and I needed to make sure you were really up for this." He put his hands behind his head and crossed his legs, making himself comfortable. "You're going to give Lie Ren the best Christmas ever. Cheesy carols, ugly sweaters, the whole shebang."

"You really think so?"

"Nope. I _know_ so."

Jaune smiled brightly, his excitement growing as the two of them discussed more of the minor details. Roman offered to help him find something to get Ren for the Secret Santa exchange, and soon everything was smoothed out. Starting tomorrow, Operation "Happy Ho-Lie-days" would be put into action.

 _Don't worry,_ Jaune thought. _This is going to be the best Christmas ever, Ren. I promise._

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Holidays to all!


End file.
